How Can Schools Be More Equitable?
Schools all around the country differ in ways. The size of classrooms, how many faculty on staff. It is nearly impossible to provide the exact same level of education to all students. I believe that as long as schools and more importantly school districts are pushing to achieve the same level of education across all platforms, then things are going in the correct direction. A few ways that school programs can ensure that schools and classrooms are as equitable as possible is to make sure that education is student centered, ensuring that curriculum is challenging to all students, ensuring that funding is evenly distributed to all schools, and having a "visionary leader" that Nate Bowling mentioned in the podcast. To touch on the last one first, it is impossible to give a good education to students who don't have passionate teachers. Principles being the leaders of a school have the responsibility to ensure that educators are in the appropriate places to better empower their students. If funding is not properly distributed amongst the entire school district then some schools will be getting left behind and that is not fair to the students in the more impoverished schools. Educators ensuring that the classroom is centered around the student is a good way to make classrooms more equitable because it allows students to have a larger role in their education. Having a challenging curriculum across the board motivates students to equally try in the classroom, but it is imperative that educators are still ensuring each student is learning and receiving the attention they need.
Hi Madison! I like your suggestion on centering the classroom around the student! As educators, learning how to tend to student's needs so they can learn in the best way they can is one of the most important things we can do. Everyone learns in different ways and different paces but if each student is getting the support they need to stay on track with everyone else then the classroom itself is already more equitable. Passionate teachers is also a must! That's why appropriate funding to schools is important because then they can hire well practiced teachers who love what they do. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteHey Alyssa! Thank you for your nice comment! I completely agree with it being important to fund schools. We want teachers that love their jobs to make sure students have a positive learning experience!
DeleteHey Madison,
ReplyDeleteYou had some great points about how educators play a vital role in the students lives, and how equity is a goal that contributes to many aspects. Another good support source is the NEA article giving advice on how teacher support can create a high level learning environment. Some of the tips are to; individualize the needs of each student, as you said, its difficult to teach the same level of education to such diverse students. Also to create a family like environment full of support for the students as well as the other teachers. The teachers need that equal funding to provide their students with what they need to be successful. Regardless of the situation, each teacher still has the job of making sure each student is getting an equal opportunity at learning.
Hi Alexis! Thank you for providing another good support source. That is a perfect example on teachers creating a better learning environment. I agree with what you said about teachers being responsible for each student getting an equal opportunity at learning. We need to make sure that every student is treated equally!
DeleteHi Madison, I enjoyed reading your blog this week. I agree on how you said it is nearly impossible to provide the exact same level of education to all students, but there are ways we can try our very best to and the examples you provided were a perfect way of explaining it. Funding really does play a huge role in this because as far as we've seen, there has not really been cases where funding in the education system is equal. Our educators in the system need to go into this path with passion and admiration for what they do because our behaviors do reflect on our students. It is important we are providing equal opportunities in the classroom for all students regardless of who they are. We need to learn to teach in the same ways and not play the game of picking and choosing. Students all deserve the opportunity of equal learning, but it starts with us. When we show them that they are all capable of picking up what we are putting down, then the motivation and encouragement sparks in them and helps show them that they are just as capable of learning the ways that anyone else can.
ReplyDeleteHi Madison! You made some really amazing points in this blog. It is so true that schools are extremely different throughout the country. We could even expand that and say that the world has different educational standards. For example, Norway spent $15,000 per student in 2015 while also emphasizing the importance of art and music in the education system. The idea of passionate teachers in a classroom setting is so crucial. Teachers need to love what they do in order for students to have any kind of passion for education. This ties in with a past discussion on the importance of making students feel connected to what they are learning. If there happened to be more funding and equity within the American school system, maybe students would feel more encouraged to pursue things that they enjoy through education. I just heard a quote by MLK Jr. that was talking about the importance of being less "thing-oriented" and more "people-oriented". I feel like your blog really ties that quote together very well! What do you think can motivate children to learn within a difficult curriculum despite attention? I'd really like to hear your ideas and you have great points!
ReplyDeleteHi Madison! I really enjoyed reading your perspective on how schools can be more equitable. I feel that it was quite different from the last one I read. I think that your blog post is very realistic to the circumstances we are in with schools right now but at the same time staying firm and positive. Many can view your perspective in a negative way by saying “it is nearly impossible” but if we look at it your way of analyzing the situation of equitability, it is fairly true. Your whole perspective reminded me of the difference between the kids that would take normal classes versus the kids that would take pre-ap or Ap classes. I myself took normal classes for the most part and I started to notice the difference in treatment whenever it came to the kind of resources my friends who took upper level classes were getting. That's why I have to agree that “it is nearly impossible to provide the exact same level of education to all students.” when we keep feeding on to these kinds of things unconsciously. Yes! The upper level students do deserve the recognition but let’s not forget that they’re other students who deserve the same education and that's what needs to be pushed more in schools. Let me know what you think of my thoughts :))
ReplyDeleteYours truly,
Guadalupe Rivera
Hi Madison! Schools should be formed centered around the well being of the students. Schools need to make sure each student has what they need to learn rather than focusing on budgets, assessments, etc. In elementary school I feel like since the beginning of the year they told us things like "This is going to be on the STAAR/TAKS" and different variations of that. Schools definitely focused on making sure they got god statistics from these kinds of assessments rather than making sure students actually learned. I feel like instead of learning, I was mastering the process of elimination method. Schools need to provide equal opportunities to all students of learning, does this mean every single student gets technology sent home, even if they don't need it. No. This means, if a student needs it, they get it. If a student does not need it, that's okay as well. It is not about providing the same resources as everyone, but rather providing the resources each student needs.
ReplyDeleteHey Madison! I agree that it is hard to make everything equal for every student but that does not mean that we should not try everything in our power to make it that way. I like that you gave the example of student-centered curriculum being a way to make schools more equitable. This is something that I have not heard form anyone else and think it is a good idea. Kathleen McClaskey stated that “personalized learning is not what is done to the learner or about tailoring the learning. It is about helping each learner to identify and develop the skills they need to support and enhance their own learning so that agency and self-advocacy can be realized”. I think that this is type of learning is way that every student will get to participate more and be able to get more out of their learning experience even if resources are not equal. Having the same level of student involvement in the classroom across all schools can make a big difference. This can encourage to be more involved in their own lives. When they see that they are important enough for their teachers to involve them in their learning process, then that can show them that they are important enough and able to do the same outside of the classroom. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Sydney! I appreciate your feedback and agree with you. Student-centered curriculum is a great way of making students be more involved in the classroom. I think every teacher should try this learning approach to make sure that students are really absorbing the information that they are taught.
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